Events by Day

On November, 16, Małgorzata Radkiewicz had a lecture on "When We Take a Look at Other Persons’ Suffering." Modern World of Film and Photography."

The title of the lecture was related to the 2003 essay by Susan Sontag where she analyzed selected images and media stories to show how viewers, the common people, shape their vision of the
world based on the media images. The American intellectual in the first place
reflects on how viewers respond to dramatism and sufferings of others. She
poses the question on where the room for vulnerability and compassion to others
is found in such perception.

The lecture used samples
of selected images and film fragments to illustrate different problems of the
present world: from artistic visions to actual documents. The presented overviews
will show the possible perceptions of reality, as well as of the painful and
often controversial topics. It is important to note that the power of impact of
images or film fragments does not necessarily have to be related to displaying violence
or atrocities. Instead, a simple but very emotional story is often more
convincing.

In the world dominated by
mass media and visual culture, it is worth remembering that the ability to
“look at somebody else’s suffering” requires two things from us as viewers. Firstly,
special attention is needed to be able to notice the images. Secondly, one
needs to be able to interpret things in order to understand their meaning and
the response thereto.

Photo from the multimedia installation "Unity" by the Hypnotica group of visual performance in the
Azerbaijani pavilion at the Modern Arts Biennale 2017 in Venice. Author –
Malgorzata Radkiewicz.

Małgorzata
Radkiewicz – professor at Jagellonian University.
She deals with issues of cultural identity in contemporary cinema and visual
art. She studies creative work of women in film, photography, and art. The
publications include, among others, The
Female Gaze. Film Theory and Practices of Women Directors and Actresses
("Władczynie spojrzenia". Teoria filmu a praktyka reżyserek i
artystek) (2010) and The Faces of Queer
Films (Oblicza kina queer) (2014) . She edited five volumes of the Gender
series. She is coordinator in the research project financed by the Polish
National Science Centre: Women Pioneers in Film and Photography in Galicia
in 1896-1945 (NCN: Pionierki kina i fotografii w Galicji 1896-1945). She was a
scholarship holder of the Ministry for Culture and Cultural Heritage, and
results of research was published in a book : “Modern Women on Cinema” in which she
analysis selected film texts and reviews written by women in Poland
1918-1945.